The present invention relates generally to alarm systems, and more particularly, to a portable alarm system for use in a residence, boat, office, or any other structure which may benefit from security monitoring.
Alarm systems of various types have been in existence for many years. In known home alarm systems, the components are usually hard-wired throughout a home with the wiring usually terminating at a control panel located somewhere within the home. One of the chief drawbacks of such a system is that the alarm system is permanently installed in the home, which offers little or no value to the original purchaser of the alarm system when he or she moves from the home. Furthermore, the installation of such an alarm system is labor intensive and, therefore, costly. The present invention may perform all the functions found in traditional home alarm systems as well as additional new functions. Furthermore, the present invention is easily portable (i.e., able to be carried in one hand by an adult or teenager), externally wireless in one embodiment, capable of placing a call without direct connection to a telephone line, and resistant to shock.
The present invention comprises a portable alarm apparatus that incorporates wireless alarm sensing technology along with wireless/cordless telephone service technology, for example, to provide a unique and effective deterrent to illegal entry. The preferred embodiment of the present invention is capable of sounding a high-decibel alarm, actuating a strobe light and contacting a security monitoring station via cellular or other wireless telephonic transmission technology. The present invention may be equipped to monitor door and window entries and has the ability to sense motion within a room with a preferred motion detector. The present invention may also be equipped with a smoke detector and transmitter for communicating in a wireless manner with the microprocessor of the present invention. The present invention is the only alarm system currently known which offers the following preferred features:
1) is portable;
2) offers wireless alarm sensing connections to doors, windows, smoke detectors, motion detectors, necklaces, pendants, etc.;
3) may incorporate cellular, Cellemetry, PCs, cordless or other wireless telephonic technology;
4) is substantially contained in a single, unique, shock-proof enclosure that is small enough to be easily transported by hand from place to place;
5) may be used as a substitute for a traditional hard-wired home alarm system;
6) may be operated from an AC outlet;
7) may be interfaced to a transmitter for making a call over a control channel of a cellular telephone system, or by means of 1900 megahertz PCs or via a landline (either the landline of the secured premises or the landline of nearby premises);
8) may include a latch key function to alert when children arrive home;
9) may include a continuous strobe light and/or siren that warns of a break-in so the consumer knows not to enter the premises;
10) may include a battery back-up (to assure calls are completed to the monitoring station);
11) may be interfaced to a surveillance camera;
12) may include a cordless feature which is adapted to utilize a nearby available dial tone line, if the dial tone line to the protected premises has been cut; and
13) may include a vibration/shock sensor for the enclosure which is adapted to detect any movement of the enclosure to activate its alarm functions.
Home alarm systems are frequently connected to the home""s telephone wiring system to automatically place a call to a monitoring station at some distance away from the home to warn those at the monitoring station that a possible illegal entry has occurred. This, in theory, enables those at the monitoring station to either send a security officer to the home or place a call to the police to initiate inspection of the home where the alarm was activated. A drawback of this type of system is that sophisticated burglars are knowledgeable of such systems and will cut the telephone wires prior to entry into the home, thereby rendering the alarm system useless (because when the illegal entry occurs, the system will not function to place the automatic call to the security monitoring station). The present invention solves this problem by providing wireless/cordless phone transmission. Additionally, the wireless/cordless communication means is enclosed within the alarm system enclosure and is adapted to run off the power supplied by an AC outlet or a backup power source within the enclosure.
Thus, the present invention makes a significant contribution to the art by being the first wireless, wireless alarm system made portable. The first xe2x80x9cwirelessxe2x80x9d is in reference to the fact that the present invention does not require connecting wires from the alarm sensing devices to the alarm system portable enclosure, to be operational. The second xe2x80x9cwirelessxe2x80x9d is in reference to the fact that the invention may be cellular or other wireless/cordless communication. The integration of these two xe2x80x9cwirelessxe2x80x9d features into a small, easily portable, enclosure is unique and provides a very beneficial product to consumers.
The present day security alarm system market offers few alternatives for the millions of citizens that live in apartments (where they are unlikely to spend significant amounts of money to install a permanent, hard-wired, alarm system when they may not be living in the apartment for more than a relatively short amount of time), a hotel room, a leased office space, short term warehousing, motor homes, construction trailers, and a multitude of other environments in which a person would not intend to stay for a relatively long period of time and thus would not wish to invest a significant expense in a permanent alarm system. It is exactly these environments where crime is often the highest. Therefore, a need exists for an alarm system that is portable, which is relatively inexpensive, which is easy to use, and which does not have to rely on a building""s installed telephone lines or power lines.
The present invention preferably comprises a portable enclosure; a microprocessor installed within the enclosure; a wireless receiver installed within the enclosure and electrically connected to the microprocessor for receiving alarm signals from intruder sensing devices; a wireless/cordless communications means, in electric communication with the microprocessor, for initiating a telephone call to a location away from the place in which the alarm system is located; an interface keypad panel in electric communication with the microprocessor for programming the alarm system according to specific user needs.
It is also preferred that the portable alarm system be comprised of a shock-proof construction comprising reinforced ribbing in an injection molded plastic enclosure. Within the enclosure, a vibration/shock sensor may be electrically connected to a control panel. The vibration/shock sensor detects movement of the portable enclosure (such as a burglar""s attempt to destroy, remove or pick-up the portable enclosure) and actuates the control panel to active the alarm features of the present invention, including calling the monitoring station. In this respect, if a burglar attempts to defeat the invention by crushing it, the present invention will withstand physical shocks and perform its intended functions.
It is also preferred that the alarm system of the present invention be further comprised of: a motion sensor electrically connected to the microprocessor for detecting intrusion into the protected area; an LED board electrically connected to the microprocessor for indicating the current status of the alarm system; an audio siren electrically connected to the microprocessor; a strobe light electrically connected to the microprocessor; a back-up power source or battery electrically connected to the microprocessor for providing back-up power to the microprocessor; a surveillance camera electrically connected to the microprocessor and secured within the enclosure for visually monitoring the premises and transmitting a picture or series of pictures to a monitor station.
1.) It is also preferred that the portable alarm of the present invention be adapted to initiate a call over a control channel of a cellular phone system or 1900 Mhz PCs or over a landline at a nearby location via wireless/cordless technology.
The vibration/shock sensing device allows the actuation of the alarm and/or actuation of dial-up procedures upon the displacement of the alarm system. This feature may for example, be used where a burglar attempts to smash or break the alarm system to prevent operation.
The wireless/cordless dial-tone transmission capability allows the unit to separate the dialing and alarm signal transmission functions from the alarm unit. Thus, the remote transmitter for dialing and transmitting the alarm signals may continue to function despite any attempts to disable the alarm unit itself (e.g., throwing it against the wall).